Mom's Tree House

A couple of weeks ago I read and posted a review on The Tudor Secret by C.W. Gortner and instantly fell in love with this book and this author. I automatically went on the hunt to find his other books and that is when I discovered The Last Queen.

Juana is the third child of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella and older sister of Katherine of Aragon, who becomes the first wife of King Henry VIII. We first meet Juana as the King and Queen unite the kingdoms of Spain, ending a three hundred Moorish government. During these early chapters, we get to know Juana as a happy, lovely child but then at the age of 16, she is betrothed to  18-year-old Hapsburg Prince, Philip the Fair of Flanders.

Juana then leaves Spain and travels to Flanders to meet her husband. Once they met,  lust immediately took over.  Philip also nicknamed “Philip the Handsome”  insisted that the two get married at once so that they could consummate the marriage. Upon meeting, they wed and  immediately retired to their bedroom. Juana, fell in love with her husband instantly but, her love for him would prove to be  full of hardships, betrayal and pain that  some say, made her mad. But..was she really?

 After Queen Isabella died, Juana became Queen to the Spanish throne. Both Phillip and her father, Ferdinand (no longer King upon Isabella’s death) wanted to claim the throne as their own but, Juana knew she had to protect the crown at no cost. Juana dealt with her husbands appetite of women and many mistresses. She  endured continuous pregnancies, having six children with Phillip within nine years. She then had to endure  being away from her children not seeing them for long periods of time. She then also had to accept her father’s betrayal, of wanting the crown for himself.

It would be easy to portray Juana as a helpless victim of circumstance and of even going mad but, her responses to her situation was but only normal. Yet, to that time period and being  Queen, her actions would have appeared hysterical and mad. I however, I have to say that her madness was a strategy imposed by her husband and father to fill their own power-hungry need of becoming king.  

Gortner,  In The Last Queen, depicts Juana as an intelligent, strong-willed and passionate but, a woman totally sane.  The novel does depict some of Juana’s actions and behaviors to appear insane, but her actions were a result of how she was treated and how she was betrayed by those whom she loved the most.

 She did not who to trust and this book proves that the need for power can destroy families, love and ultimately, one’s own mental health.   Her story captures you, bringing you straight into that time, into her story, her life. While reading this book, I felt I was in a corner of a place, just watching her life unfold in front of me. The novel is captivating making the reader sympathize and relate with Juana at so many different levels. The reader is able to understand Juana as a mother and woman in a time where her behaviors were deem unacceptable.

The portrayal of Juana is inspiring and yet tragic. You can help but be moved by this novel. The read itself is non-stop, mind boggling scenarios in where you find it impossible to put the book down from the first page of reading it. Gortner’s brilliant style of writing only adds to the story by providing rich details and descriptions making this book a historical fiction must-read. The Last Queen by C.W. Gortner is by far one of the best books I have read and I can’t wait to read more from this outstanding author. I highly recommend this book.

About the Author

C.W. Gortner is the author of the acclaimed historical novels The Last Queen, The Confessions of Catherine de Medici and his newest novel, The Tudor Secret. He holds an MFA in Writing with an emphasis on Renaissance Studies from the New College of California. In his extensive travels to researchhis books, he has danced a galliard in a Tudor great hall and experienced life in a Spanish castle. He is also a dedicated advocate for animal rights and environmental issues. Half-Spanish by birth, he divides his time between Northern California and Antigua, Guatemala.

 You can visit the author online at  www.cwgortner.com or his blog at http://historicalboys.blogspot.com/.

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